The Flooding of the Sun Burnt Country
by AngelaD.Pangie
Summary: In late 2010 and early 2011, Australia was hit by a series of floods. This is the story of how Australia, his states, and the international world deal with the disaster, and a story of what exactly it means to be Australian.
1. When the Waters Rose

Disclaimer: I don't own TV Tropes or Axis Powers Hetalia or any of its associated fictional characters or locations.

**Author's Note:**

**This is based on real-life events. The states are based on TV Tropes Useful notes and real life, exaggerated to ridiculous levels. Please, if you have it, occasionally spare a dollar or two for those whose lives are devastated by natural disasters. **

**But this one mainly goes out to all readers who are, or were, affected by these floods, or any other natural disaster. The rest of the world is still thinking about you, looking out for you. **

**NEVER LOSE HOPE. **

**The Flooding of the Sun-Burnt Country**

**Chapter One**

When the Waters Rose

18th December 2010

England heard a knock. He looked up from his cup of tea. "Who could that be, at this time of night?"

"Maybe it's Australia," suggested Tasmania mildly. She sat across him, a neatly, if old-fashioned dressed, spectacled young woman with the palest complexion out of all Australia's six states and two territories. Out of all of them, she was the most like him in regards to personality, and ergo the sanest. She sometimes came over to England's house for a cup of tea. She was holding a small bundle of his books from the last century. They each had a collection of antique literary items they would trade sometimes. They were the only thing he would lend the sweet, albeit fumbling and occasionally clumsy, girl. Anything else, she might break.

England stood up and opened the door. He sighed. "Hello, Australia."

"G'day, England. Came to find Tazzy," grinned the cheerful, sun-weathered bloke. His koala gnashed its teeth at England. Australia peered over England's shoulder and grinned at Tasmania. "Tazzy, there y'are. Wanna come home now? The others miss you."

"They were ignoring me," she told him in a quiet, depressed tone.

"They missed you so much that they came over to bring ya back."

"See, now you're ignoring… Sorry?" asked Tasmania.

"What?" asked England. "No, do _not_ say that you brought them-"

"HEY, ENGLAND! LET US IN!" several voices called with all the tact of several large machine guns.

"Oh, god, why?" England groaned, rubbing his forehead, as his home was invaded by the other four states and two territories, plus the country to which they all belonged.

"I really think this wall is too blank," murmured a woman with a crucifix. "I think I'm going to paint a-"

"Tasmania, darling, why'd you run off like that?" Victoria said as he flounced in, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a trendy shirt. He air-kissed Tasmania. The woman with the crucifix sighed and got to work.

"Because you were ignoring me."

"At least they know you're there," the woman with the crucifix said, painting England's wall, completely without permission. "Nobody even realises South Australia's here."

"Well, don't do it again, naughty," Victoria smiled, withdrawing. Tasmania started when she saw that he had one of England's most valuable books stuffed down his shirt.

"Victoria-" She was ignored, but someone else had already stopped Victoria.

"Now, see here," began a short, chubby man in a suit, speaking with a pompous accent. "That book belongs to that young lady."

"Oh, be quiet, Cranberry."

"I told you, it's Canberra! My capital, and yours, actually, is Canberra! Not Cranberry. And you'll refer to me as ACT or Australian Capital Territory."

"You're not even a state," Victoria said snobbishly.

"But I'm still more important than you."

"Yeah, Cranberry's right," Australia butted in. ACT wilted slightly at the nickname. "On both counts. Fair go, Vicky, give the book back."

'Vicky' sighed. "Fine." He withdrew the book and threw it at Tasmania, who caught it gently. It wasn't damaged. Melodramatically, he laid a hand over his forehead. "I think, with all this exertion, I'm getting a little faint… I'm just going to get a little ice tea, darlings, shouldn't be too hard here… Ice is everywhere and so is tea." With that, he flounced out of the room.

"Thankyou, old chap," Canberra thanked Australia.

"No worries," the other said, looking around when he realised his koala was gone. "Where's me…"

"GET IT OFF ME!" shouted England. Australia's koala was trying to gnaw off his head.

"Oh, he's harmless," Australia said as he coaxed the small, grey, furry animal off England. "Come on, you don't wanna eat that, you don't know _where_ it's been."

While England was recovering, someone walked up and booted him in the shoulder. "Sorry, _mate_, didn't see you there." This was said in distinctly sarcastic Aussie tones, the like of which only came from Western Australia. He wore a grubby old singlet under a fluorescent construction vest, with an equally grubby pair of jeans and some boots. The scrawny, extremely tanned young man had a pickaxe slung over one shoulder, and occasionally patted the black swan which was following him around.

"Oh, you aren't still upset over the referendum in the thirties last century, are you?" snapped England. "I _know_ you wanted to succeed, but it was a stupid thing to do."

"Not giving you any trouble, is he?" asked someone with the slightest Australian accent. A man dressed in a suit had come over, looking like WA but older and more mature. He was also physically buffer, with a lock of hair in the front of his head which arced identically proportionate to how the Sydney Opera House did. New South Wales was particularly proud of the Opera House.

"Bugger off, Wales-ey," WA snapped to the other.

"Come along, WA, let's go stop Victoria from stealing the crown again." With that, the two wandered off. They, being the first two states of Australia, looked exactly like England, except tan and more buff. Once, due to a particularly large influx of English immigrants, Western Australia had gotten much paler, and many had mistaken him for England. He had been particularly furious about that, given his long grudge against the nation. They were quickly replaced by a dark-skinned, Aboriginal woman wearing shorts and a shirt. She grinned at him.

"No, Northern Territory," England groaned. "I _won't_."

"Northy isn't causin' ya too much trouble, is she?" asked Australia.

"I was just gonna challenge him to a drinking contest," NT announced cheerfully, holding out a bottle of beer.

"_No_."

"It's because ya always lose, isn't it?" asked the woman. Despite her frame, slighter than England's, and gender, she could outdrink him any day of the week. No matter how much the woman drank, she never actually got drunk.

"Oi, Northy, a bit of help over here!" called another woman; Queensland. She wore a bright yellow sundress and straw hat. She was in the habit of taking care of baby crocodiles whose mothers hadn't been able to take care of them. Unfortunately, she tended to take care of them too long so, sometimes, one of them would bite her, like the arm-long one was doing now. Queensland was more or less ignoring the small reptile.

"Not again," NT laughed before proceeding to wrestle it into submission. "How come you never ask WA to help? He has crocs, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm always too busy mining to provide money for you lazy buggers to play with them," the surly state snapped. "Maybe if you pulled your own weight-"

Just then, a strange expression came over his face. He clapped a hand to his mouth. The swan squawked in concern as he rushed into the bathroom and began vomiting.

"You right there, Westie?" asked Australia, before beginning to cough. At first it was a mild tickle, but then it grew into a phlegmatic fit. England hurriedly gave him a handkerchief. It was soon coated with clear phlegm. After a moment, WA came back down again, the other states watching him.

"Stop it, you lot, I'm fine. It's just a bit of flooding in the Gascoyne."

"Oh, _flooding_," England sighed, relieved. Not that he had been worried, of course. "That's all? A bit of rain won't hurt you. I should know."

"At least we've discovered the sun," muttered WA resentfully before running back to be sick once more. After that, he had to be carried home, between NSW and NT. Australia had been coughing, on and off, quite badly. He, his states and his territories, left, without requesting for help. England knew that Australia would be able to handle it, though.

He blinked as he saw that one of the states had been forgotten. "Um… South Australia?"

The woman looked around form her mural, blinking. "They left without me, didn't they?"

England nodded. She sighed, left. England saw that she had painted a large map of Australia, slightly out of proportion. All but Southern Australia were tiny. He smiled, shook his head. He then found that Victoria had stolen one of his vases.

Western Australia was in a horrible mood for the rest of the week. They all lived in Australia's house together, and the others began avoiding WA as the flooding got worse. He would refuse all medical aid unless he was physically unable to refuse their nursing. He would absolutely not let doctors check him out. This was because, in his heart, Western Australia was terrified that they would find out that he could no longer move his right hand, and then they wouldn't allow him to work any more. Then what would he be?

When he was well enough, he would wander about in a terrible mood. Due to his hand, he once hurled his axe through a window when SA was in the room, not noticing her. Australia, who was the only one who (sometimes) noticed that the Southern state was alive, made her pay for it. In revenge, she painted WA's black swan pink. He wasn't happy.

Australia, of course, would occasionally come down with a cough. When asked, he would say that he was fine, and was just annoyed that he wouldn't be able to enjoy as many "good Aussie mangoes and bananas" as usual, as the farms which grew them had been in the affected region.

**Christmas Day**

Australia was having a lazy morning, sleeping in after a night of partying and fireworks. Queensland had provided most of the fireworks, though she'd been a bit ill. She did the best fireworks. However, this morning was interrupted when he woke and found himself unable to breath. He took in a breath only to cough it out again, with more of the clear phlegm. It reached down into his lungs, choking him, drowning him in his own body.

Perhaps feeling his pain, the door burst open and NT and SA ran inside. They helped him to breathe until he was able to ask, "We-Western Australia?"

"He's still sick," NT said with a gravity she normally didn't have. "But it isn't him."

Queensland was barely able to join in the Christmas festivities. Western Australia was in as bad a condition. Australia was wracked by a terrible cough as two of his states, his two largest states, suffered. Christmas that year was hardly the joyous event it usually was.

By the New Year, Queensland was bedridden. As the days passed she grew unable to move or speak. All she could do was lie there, her tan slowly drawing away from her skin, leaving her pale and wan. By the tenth of January they found her with blue lips, only restored to consciousness when pressure from a machine forced oxygen into lungs too weak and drenched to move on their own. She couldn't breathe alone by the tenth of January, and had to draw in rattling, watery breaths through an oxygen mask. The nation's best doctors were called in to help her, but they could do nothing. Their tests revealed that Queensland had received brain damage from the water; if she woke, she would need to relearn how to walk and talk properly. Australia, who grew weaker with Queensland and, to a lesser extent, Western Australia, was at the mercy of nature.

WA was ill, but while he was more or less constant, all saw how Queensland sickened. Even he took a turn sitting at her bedside, trying to stop her drowning in her own body. She grew weaker and weaker. Her land was being covered in water, over three quarters of it weighed down by the constant rain. She was fading, and there was nothing the other states could do about it.

Well, there was something.

On January the 12th, NSW and SA stood by Queensland's bed.

"Queensland?" began NSW softly, taking her hand. SA took her other one. "I don't know if you can hear us right now, but we'll say it anyway. SA and I are giving you something to help ease the troubles." He and SA each laid a cheque on her bed. Both read, _a million dollars_. "This won't bring stop the rain. This won't take back the water. This won't bring back the building, the property. This won't bring back the people and animals' whose lives are affected, even lost, because of this. But, hopefully, it will make a few people's lives a bit easier. We haven't forgotten you, and we're all doing everything we can for you."

They sat with Queensland for a bit longer. Her hand had grown cold and clammy, almost as if the water that was everywhere was trying to escape through her skin. They eventually left.

WA had been waiting in the room next, the place he'd been ordered to stay and recuperate after Australia made him allow the Doctors to inspect him. They revealed, with various scans, that his cortex was damaged. They weren't sure if he could learn to use his right hand again or not. It was his sour luck that his state hadn't been born with enough lefties to be one himself.

Next to Queensland, he watched her for a moment before sitting down. Awkwardly, he drew a small, wrinkled piece of paper from his jeans pocket. On it, in clumsy, childlike letters, he painstakingly wrote, ONE MILLION DOLLARS. He set it beside the other two, resting a moment before stumbling back into his room, where his exertions were rewarded with an hour with his face halfway down the toilet.

It was eventually Australia who came in and gently lifted the exhausted figure back to bed, despite his protestations that he could walk. The koala helped him clean up and Australia made sure Western Australia took his medication, even though they knew it would be, at best, a temporary relief. With that done, he went into the next room, sat tiredly on a chair beside the prone figure. He began coughing, one of the worst fits he'd had yet. The koala pawed his cheek gently, concerned. Australia wiped the spittle from his cheek and grinned.

"Don't worry, mate," he said to the koala weakly. "I'll pull through. We all will."

Then he began to cough again.


	2. We'll Be Right

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia: Axis Power or any of its associated fictional characters or locations.

**Author's Note:**

**Despite my efforts, this may not be completely factually accurate in regards to timeline and international aid. All efforts have been made to get the specific dates and amounts offered or given correct, so I apologise if there are any mistakes.**

**-Angela**

**Flooding of the Sun Burnt Country**

**Chapter Two**

We'll Be Right

"Look at this." England was at the meeting of the nations, one of which they had every week to trade news and antagonise each other. Really, that was what the meetings were for, but they all were too professional to admit it.

While Russia scared a few other countries in the corner, England had thrust a picture of Australia in front of France and Germany's faces.

"This is the picture you've been showing everyone?" asked France. Neither of them could actually see it, as it was millimetres from their brows. "Is it porn? You know, I've been wanting to have some personal shots of you for-"

"France, stop being a perv and look at the picture," reprimanded England.

The room stilled. England was acting unusual, and had already passed around the picture with a business-like air.

"We can hardly see it," Germany told the nation quietly, with some caution. "It's too close."

England paused, saw that Germany was correct, and withdrew it slightly.

"Oh," sighed France in disappointment after a moment's perusal. "It's just Australia. And, don't get me on, I would appreciate that if it was him as a person… Without clothes… But it's the actual land. Bo-ring."

"Why have you photo-shopped all that water into Australia?" asked Germany in confusion.

"Yeah, England," asked South Italy, who was peeking over Germany's shoulder. His brother was behind trying, trying to see over his head. "You've been saying you wished you and Australia could swap weather for a while, but this is kind of ridiculous."

"It's not photo-shopped." England's tone was tight, his frustration suppressed. The other nations grew quieter. "This is a bit of their land –the size of you both, Germany and France, put together- and it's flooded."

"But it never rains in Australia," Japan said logically.

"Well, it is now, and it's coming in buckets." England looked at the picture himself. "It's like the rain-gods forgot about the place for years and now they've all gone 'oh, crap! We've got to send all the stuff we forgot!'" The fist that wasn't holding the photo tightened. "So, what are we doing about it? I've been waiting for someone to bring it up at the last few meetings, but nobody's mentioned it."

"It's just…" Began a voice which hadn't spoken. It was Brazil, who had a sling over his arm. "We've all been so caught up…"

England waved a hand. "Brazil, don't worry… I know you're in enough trouble as it is, with the mudslides. But what about those of you who Australia has helped? What about you, America? Australia goes to your wars all the time –the ones which you always lose, I have to point out. What about you, Italy? Both of you. And Indonesia, aren't you close to Australia? What are any of you doing?"

They were quiet now. But then, another voice piped up. "Jesus, England… Never knew you were such a fanboy."

They turned as Australia himself showed up. He was much paler than normal, and carried a tissue with him, but otherwise he looked fine. "England's making it out to be a big deal. Don't get be wrong, Queensland and Westy are a bit off –Westy with bloody bushfires, no less, but we'll pull through. We always do. And we have our SES people, better than all of your-" At the end of this, a funny expression came over his face. He turned and brought out a tissue. The other nations watched in silence as Australia coughed phlegmatically. The coughs grew worse and worse. They heard a distrubing rattling in Australia's chest.

Eventually he turned around and gave them a weak smile. "Sorry, mates, New South Wales is in a bit of trouble. I'll see you all next week."

They watched him go. In the silence, Russia wondered aloud, "would becoming one with Russia help?"

"Do you even know where Australia is?" asked North Italy dryly.

"…Somewhere near Japan?" Russia shrugged it off. "Geographical differences do not matter when two become one country!"

"I don't think that would help," Japan told him diplomatically.

England, who had been silent, murmured, "but I think I know what would."

Australia went home as fast as he could. The koala gripped on with an alarmed expression as the kangaroo Australia had rode brought him back home with considerably more bruises than before. He dismounted unsteadily. "Now I remember why I don't ride these things…" The koala could only cling in a traumatised sort of way. The kangaroo snorted, insulted, and hopped off. Australia ignored it and went inside.

"Hey, Australia, there's a-" began South Australia, looking around from her painting of a water-clogged farm.

"Australia," Northern Territory said to him, coming down to meet him. "It's-"

"New South Wales, I know."

They exited the room.

"Alright, don't bother seeing me," South Australia muttered, turning back to her picture. She vehemently began painting a serial killer on the top of the farm. "It's not like there's an entire freaking state… No, just empty space under Northy, next to Westy…" She added some blood, and felt marginally better.

On the way, NT began telling Australia what had happened. "Him and Vicky were 'round Queensland's bed –they both send SES volunteers, you know- and then he suddenly began coughing. Westy took him straight out of there."

As they progressed down the hallway, the sounds of Western Australia's raised voice was heard. "You big, stupid fool! Did you not think that the floods would reach you! Why didn't you get yourself checked out sooner?" Western Australia then succumbed to a coughing fit himself. They walked in just as the frustrated doctor kicked WA in the back of the knee, forcing him down onto the bed and tying him there. When he saw Australia's expression, the exhausted man snapped, "he keeps saying he's fine, going off somewhere, having another fit and making me drag him back here! It's making him worse and me cranky."

Australia pointed at the ropes. "Don't let France see those." He turned to NSW, who was in bed. At his look, the normally robust state smiled.

"Sorry," he apologised. "I don't think I'll be much use to Queensland."

Australia clapped him on the shoulder. "Not your fault, mate."

"I told you," said the small, plump ACT, who was at the head of NSW's bed. '"Take it easy, I said, and now look what's happened… Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to have to go figure out how on earth we're going to manage this economically…" The plump figure flounced out of the room.

"I'll be right," NSW said. "Queensland's getting a bit better, too… Well, sort of."

Australia looked at the doctor, who shrugged. "There's a different doctor in charge of Queensland. I'll get her." She was brought in. "You want to know about Queensland?"

Australia nodded. "Tell me she's getting better, doctor."

She hesitated. That told Australia all he needed to know. Seeing his expression, she hurriedly said, "no, it's not getting worse… Well, not really. The rains have stopped. But… She shed another tear."

Every time they found someone dead, Queensland shed another tear.

"That's twenty. It's not as bad as it could be," she tried to tell them. "Every life is a loss, but she could be crying hundreds of tears."

Australia nodded, though the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. "But how _is_ she?"

"In some places, her blood is moving too fast, and won't clot. In others, it moves too slow, and parts of her cells are dying because of it. Her lifeblood is being affected by the water. But some places are resuming normal activity, and she's been improving."

Australia's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Got to love those volunteers. We'd be lost without them."

NT sat in Queensland's room. Everyone had rushed to NSW's side, which was good, but she couldn't be left alone. NSW's room was pretty crowded, anyway. "Hey, Queeny," she tried saying. The state's skin was still clammy and cold. "You remember how you always look after those crocs? Where are they now? You always keep them too long, and then one of them bit you before, so I know you've got one –ow!"

The state's tone changed as a sharp pain made her flinch away. She had left her hand lying on the bed, and a small crocodile had snuck out and bit her on the hand. She raised her hand quickly, about to yank it off and subdue it, when the croc let go itself. Surprised, she looked closer. It took the tiny reptile a few tries to get on its belly. She saw that it was having trouble breathing. As she watched, it sneezed.

"Poor li'l bugger," she said softly, looking closer. She brought a hand closer to it, tickling it on the head. "How long've you been hiding there, ay? You're sick too, huh? Ow!" The sick croc had bitten her again. "Bastard."

SA appeared at the door. She flicked paint at NT until she looked around. NT wondered who was flicking paint at her, but could see nobody. Rolling her eyes, SA painted an arrow on the wall opposite. Continuing this process, she guided NT downstairs, where she paused, gaped.

England came up to her. She looked at him and said, in a numb, automatic kind of way, "did ya finally come for that drinking contest?"

England snorted. "No. I know I'll lose."

"Wimp." Someone shouted from the crowd.

"Quiet, Scotland." He turned back to Northy. "I know we don't always get along-"

"Suppressing my people for years will do that."

"-But, I've come to help." He spread his arms. "We've all come to help."

Northy looked around. Neither she, nor SA could speak. Tasmania came and they sent her to get Australia. The room was full of nations, all of them clamouring around, looking at the various paintings on the walls (literally –SA didn't like canvases, preferring murals) and wondering why there were so many bottles of SPF 30+ at every corner. Australia tilted his hat back with one hand, and the koala hissed at them, wondering if it should try to bite them all.

"What are you lot doing back here?"

England was the nominated spokesperson, so he began. "We've come to help. This is from Elizabeth." He held out a small letter with the royal insignia as a seal.

"Old Lizzie wrote me a letter?" asked Australia. England winced.

"I wish you wouldn't all her that."

Australia opened the envelope. When he saw that it was a check, he opened his mouth to thank England, but when he saw how much it was, he couldn't speak.

"Just a little thing from the Windsors to help things along. Also, I would personally like to pledge anything you need." England looked as serious as Australia had ever seen him. "Money, material, forces, whatever you need, just ask."

"Stop monopolising Australia," called US. He walked up and struck a hero pose. "Like usual I, America, am here to save the day! Whatever you need, we're ready to give it!"

Papua New Guinea and Indonesia came up to him. The former began with, "do you need anything, Australia? Because I can help… I don't know how much I'll be able to give, but I can do something!"

"Here you go," Indonesia said, giving Australia a check.

"Indonesia, I give you money for you to use in your own place," Australia said with some exasperation.

"And this is a little for you to use in yours."

Denmark came up next. "Australia, here's a little something from the Danes."

Then New Zealand. "I've sent a few disaster management experts. They'll help!"

Singapore followed. "I have helicopters based in Oakley ready fro your disposal, as well as soldiers."

China held out a cheque. "Fifty thousand from my Red Cross."

Sri Lanka. "I give you tea!"

America rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, because I'm sure with all that water around, they'll all love a good cuppa, very useful Sri Lanka –England, why are you glaring at me like that? No, seriously, it's kind of freaking me out. Look, not everyone wants to inhale tea."

"Lies."

"AAAAAUUUUSTRAAAAAAALIIIIIAAAA!"

Alarmed, the nation turned on his heel and ran to WA's room, who had screamed his name. He burst in on a very disturbed-looking WA and NSW and, near the doorway, France. "What? All I said was that I liked the restraints."

Australia put a hand on France's shoulder, turned him around. He looked at him and all the other nations who had gathered. "Look, I love the sentiment, but we really can't be flooded –no pun intended- by a bunch of stuff we don't need at the moment. Like I said, the SES can handle it. We've got a great emergency response team. If we do, I'll let you all know. But we're a first-world country and can deal with this. We're Australian. We're a bit tougher than you lot seem to think we are." This last part was said with a joking lilt.

"But… You give everyone else so much," Japan told Australia. Everyone looked pointedly at Indonesia.

"Why did everyone look at me then!" exclaimed Indonesia. He thought about this. "Okay, fair point…"

"I give because I can, and because you lot need it. When I need your help…" Australia grinned. "You'll be wishing you never offered."

"Excuse me?" Victoria had appeared at the opposite end of the hallway. He was dressed in the latest fashion, as always, his skinny jeans an unbearably bright yellow today, presumably in tribute to Queensland, who normally wore a dress of the same colour. He trailed off. There was a note of fear in his voice. They all turned to him. "I hate to interrupt this, but…" A strange expression came over his face.

"Oh, no…" Muttered Australia, the sentiment felt by all the states, all their hearts sinking as one. Sure enough, Victoria began to cough and had to be taken to a hospital room. Northy, ever the practical one, kicked all the nations out, even France when he asked if he could borrow the restraints. They got another doctor in for him. He was put into the same room as WA and NSW, right next to Queensland's, where the more serious machinery was.

SA was sitting with him when she heard him moan, "no, little boy… Don't go swimming, not now… Don't, there's water coming. Not now, don't…" He trailed off. A lump appeared in SA's throat as she saw a tear roll down his cheek.

Someone knocked on the door. ACT came in, holding Tasmania over his shoulder. "I found her in a corner, coughing. She's not even connected to the mainland, but the rains still didn't spare her. I don't know how long she was doing it for, we never pay her any attention…" He looked around. "Huh. I could have sworn there was someone here…"

SA eye's twitched. The doctor set up a bed for Tasmania, who woke up after a little while. Victoria, however, fell into a coma. His skin became clammy. Australia came in a little while later, a grimace on his face. "That's all of the Eastern states… Not including you, Cranberry, you're a territory anyway... WA's getting a bit better, but isn't at his best either… What are we going to do?"

The doctor looked up at him. "Victoria needs to be moved in with Queensland."

Australia looked at him, and the Doctor had to look away. "Not another one. Not another state like Queeny."

"Almost a third of Victoria is flooded," the Doctor remonstrated as gently as he could. "He has to be moved."

Australia rubbing his forehead and nodded. "Take care of him. He's a bit metro, but he… He's one of my states. He's a part of me, doctor."

The Doctor nodded as he wheeled the bed contained the comatose state out. "He'll have the best care available."

For once, as Australia sat in the room, between a silent WA, a sleeping NSW and Tasmania, who had just been woken up by a vicious attack of coughing, SA wasn't annoyed that she wasn't seen. ACT was distracted by Tasmania, so she was the only one who saw what Australia would have never allowed himself to express had he known she was watching.

He buried his head in his hands for a long, long moment. The koala patted his head, worried.

But when he looked up again, he was wearing a light-hearted grin and spoke up. "She'll be right, Cranberry. They all will. It might take a while, but we'll all be…We'll all be right."

On the desk of NT's room, there was a small cardboard box. Inside it was one sick crocodile, warmed by the bright light above it, snuggling into the blankets, having just eaten its fill. Only then did the Aboriginal Territory got to sleep.


	3. Open Your Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia; Axis Powers or Neighbors, or any of its associated fictional locations or characters.

**The Flooding of the Sun-Burnt Country**

**Chapter Three**

Open Your Eyes

"Damn it, Northern Territory!" shouted England. "Take your freaking crocodile away from my foot!"

"It's not my croc," she declared cheerfully, ignoring the way the crocodile was happily gnawing on England's left ankle. "It's Queensland's. Don't yell at me if you taste so good. It's all that colonial whiteness. Mm-mm, that's good pommy."

"HEY!"

"Just saying what he thinks," Northie shrugged light-heartedly. The mood in Australia's house had gradually been lightening as the disaster had been dealt with. It had been a bad time around the beginning of February, when the cyclones had threatened. Western Australia had been relatively lucky. The tropical cyclone had made an arc, coming unusually close to the south-east end. But, when push came to shove, it had done nothing but ruffle a few bird's feathers, not done much damage, caused a bit of wind but left Western Australia almost completely unscathed.

However, Yasi had decided to visit Queensland.

"Doctor! She's having a fit!"

"Nurse," the doctor barked, immediately trying to stabilise the normally prone figure who was now jerking about as if being electrocuted.

The doctor had kicked them all out when they tried to stay with her, letting only Australia remain by her side. As Northie looked back, she had seen that Australia's face looked unusually grim. But, the next moment, it softened, and he gently brushed some of Queensland's hair away from her face.

Outside, Tasmania was quietly reading a book. She still had to go to bed sometimes, feeling sick or dizzy, but she refused to stay in bed. Victoria was the same, stating how bedridden might look good on Ramsay Street, but in real life it was, 'totally unfashionable.' At that moment, he stalked off in disgust, muttering angrily, 'OMG, she's being so selfish, being so sick. She should, like, get better. Now.' NSW had recovered relatively fast as well. He began to talk to Canberra about some new policy that was polarising the country. He and Canberra both walked off, trying to look like they weren't worried, trying to act normal. That was all they could do.

Northie's eyes glossed over where SA began painting on the wall, something in bright colours which looked like Australia standing up, being held up by people which could have been them. She ignored the muttering, "gonna kill all cyclones… yeah, gonna slice them up like a steak on the barbie… Freshly cooked…"

WA had stormed off. When NSW had first risen from bed, WA and he had begun to have many arguments about which of them should stay in bed more. Northie had become sick and tired of them when they began going deep into the night, and had just started sicking Little Croc, Queensland's little crocodile, on them whenever they annoyed her. This technique worked so well that Northie had begun applying it to every-day life. Whenever SA started threatening to go axe-crazy, WA or NSW irritated her, Victoria looked too gay (which was all the time, probably why he was bitten the second-most), Canberra looked a bit podgy, or England was being silly (all the time, so he was the one she urged Lil Croc to snack on… Almost constantly, actually), she just told the small reptile what to do and he did it.

But, digressions aside, WA was nowhere to be seen. Northie went looking for him, wondering just where he had got to. After a half-hour of looking she finally found him outside, digging a hole in the backyard.

"Westie?" asked Northie, confused. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Digging a swimming pool. What does it look like?"

"Well, fine but… Why?"

"'Cause Queensland's gonna need to cool off when she gets better. Have you felt this heat?"

Northie paused and watched for a moment. Lil Croc made a small questioning noise, asking if he could bite Westie. Northie shook her head and Lil Croc settled down, disappointed but accepting. "Somethin' wrong, Westie?" she asked lightly.

"No."

She waited. He stopped wiped his forehead. "It's just… Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is it always Queensland?" His words became angrier. "Why is she always hurting, and I'm always fine?" He threw the spade down. "Why does it always have to be her? She can't take this right now, she-"

"GET HIM, LITTLE CROC!"

Lil Croc jumped onto Westie and bit him on the ear. Westie began thrashing around, trying to remove the reptile. "NORTHIE! What the HELL!"

She stood there with her hands on her hips, grinning at him, her white teeth almost glowing in contrast with her dark skin. "Never, EVER say that! 'She can't take this'… What are you, bloody England? We can take this! We can take anything! And do you know why?"

"Maybe I would if your crocodile wasn't freaking BITING me!"

Lil Croc let go, having had his fun, and crawled back up to Northie. She put him on her shoulder. "We're Australian, that's why. We're the ones the world looks at and thinks, 'they can _do_ anything. They can _survive_ anything'. Do you know why the world says that? Because it's true. Just look at my people; centuries of oppression and we're still here. SUCK ON THAT, WHITE AUSTRALIA POLICY!" (A policy during the 50s aimed more at immigration, but still trying to push 'white Australia')

"You know we aren't that resilient, right?" WA frowned at her, rubbing his ear.

"Why the hell are you so bloody pessimistic?" she snapped, folding her arms. "It doesn't matter if it isn't true, all the more reason to MAKE it true. By surviving. So stop moaning and groaning. Your state isn't, so neither should you! You'll make them all look bad."

WA paused for a moment, incredulous before picking up a clod of dirt and throwing it at Northie. "That's for calling me a wimp!" He did it again, ignoring her protests. "And that's for throwing the crocodile at me." He did it a third time. "And THAT is for comparing me to England!"

"Hey!" shouted England. "I heard that! What wrong with-"

"Sick 'im, Lil Croc!"

"STOP BITING ME!"

Weeks passed, and Australia gradually edged out of the world-view as the crisis became less and less immediate, as the more mediocre problems of a wide range of destruction became more prominent than the actual destruction itself. Other world issues began to gather the media's attention, and soon Australia and all his states were more the viewers than the viewees of world news. They weren't sorry in the least.

England had taken to coming over regularly when the disaster had first struck, but now that the focus had gone from the actual crisis to insurance claims, he began to reduce his visits to the same number as before the floods.

The world news was, as usual, worrying. Australia and his states rifled through the various channels, looking at the new disaster that had come up, the Japanese earthquakes. Unbeknownst to them, in her room, Queensland opened her eyes.

They were watching when a loud voice interrupted that of the news reader's.

"What are we all doing in here instead of out there? Look at everything that's going on, you slackers! Let's get out there and _do_ something!"

A week later, Queensland and Northie went out together, Lil Croc in hand. Lil Croc was too big to ride on Northie's shoulder, so he just followed behind her instead. He had grown just as fond of Queensland and had spent the last week clinging to both of them.

They went to a river at the top of the state. It was a place few people knew about and even fewer came, a known territory of crocodiles. Queesland nudged Lil Croc into the water, saying, "time for you to go, Lil Croc." Her voice had a trace of sadness in it.

Lil Croc looked back at her, looked at Northie. Northie nodded, smiling, bittersweet. Lil Croc went into the water. He would quickly adapt to the life of a crocodile and, after a while, forget about his upbringing. Though he never knew why, he would never try to take a bite out of a human being. Except English tourists. For some reason, he found watchng them run hilarious.

Queensland and Northie walked back to the house together. It was time for them to go home too.

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks for reading this three-parter. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, reviews help tell me what I'm doing right and what i could do better. If you enjoyed this and want to read more of some of the stuff I do, you can find out about some of my other fanfics or actual works on my homepage. You can also find me on Twitter at /#!/AngelaDonlan .**

**Thanks again and all my love,**

**-Angela**


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